Game 60: Yankees vs. Orioles

After tonight’s game, the Yankees bid farewell to the Birds until September 6 and move aside so the rest of the AL East can prey on the division’s soft underbelly.

Being leaving town, however, the Yankees will look to pin one more loss on the struggling Orioles, who have promoted Jake Arieta to pitch the series finale. Arieta features a mid-90s fastball and above average curve, so the Yankees could have their hands full with the Orioles’ young righty. Arieta is prone to throwing a lot of pitches, however, so the Yankees patient lineup probably means the Orioles’ bullpen will also have to play a prominent role if he is to pick up his first major league win. Regardless of how his debut turns out, the addition of a third rookie to the Orioles’ starting rotation could be just the beginning of a roster turnover as the Birds enter a full rebuilding mode and look to 2011.

Meanwhile, AJ Burnett looks to rain on the rookie’s parade by bouncing back from his poor start against the Blue Jays. Burnett will once again be caught by Chad Moeller, so it will be interesting to see how the pair works together. With Brett Gardner still recovering from a sore thumb, Marcus Thames also gets a rare start in left. Otherwise, the Yankees hope to keep taking advantaging of the schedule by finishing off the sweep in Baltimore.